ONS Production Output Report: April 2025
This summary is based on information from the Office for National Statistics’ Index of Production, UK: February 2025, highlighting recent trends in the UK’s production industries, including manufacturing, mining and quarrying, energy supply, and water and waste management.
Monthly Performance Analysis
In February 2025, the UK’s monthly production output was estimated to have increased by 1.5%, following a fall in January 2025 (0.5%) and a rise in December 2024 (1.0%).
The rise in monthly output resulted from increases in “manufacturing” (2.2%), “electricity and gas” (2.0%) and “water supply and sewage” (1.1%). However, these were partially offset by a decrease in “mining and quarrying” (3.0%).
The monthly increase saw growth in 10 of its 13 manufacturing subsectors, with 6 of those 10 subsectors having fallen in January 2025. The largest contributors to the increase in manufacturing output for February 2025 came from “computer, electronic and optical products”, “basic pharmaceutical products” and “transport equipment. These rose by 9.8%, 4.4% and 1.8% respectively.
Three-monthly Trends
Production output for the three months to February 2025 was estimated to have increased by 0.7% compared with the three months to November 2024.
The main contributor to this increase was “manufacturing”, which rose by 0.6%. This was supported by smaller contributions in “water supply and sewerage” and “electricity and gas”, which were up by 2.8% and 1.6% respectively. However, this was partially offset by a 0.7% increase in “mining and quarrying”.
To conclude, UK production output rose by 1.5%, driven primarily by growth in manufacturing (2.2%), electricity and gas (2.0%), and water supply and sewage (1.1%). Manufacturing output increased across 10 of 13 subsectors, with standout gains in computer, electronic and optical products (9.8%), pharmaceuticals (4.4%), and transport equipment (1.8%). Over the three months to February 2025, total production output grew by 0.7%, led by manufacturing (0.6%) and supported by gains in water supply (2.8%) and electricity and gas (1.6%).
Source: Index of Production, UK – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)
